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State of the forum - The ΩF news thread

  1. Trev The Architect Staff Member Dec 21, 2011

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    Hey guys,

    I wanted to keep you all in the loop regarding Omega Forums and what we're doing to make it better.

    The look and feel of ΩF
    The engine behind ΩF is the excellent forum software platform called Xenforo, which uses our custom theme and visual improvements. We'll shortly be updating to the latest version which further improves performance and security, along with introducing some minor improvements (such as custom profile fields for members). I've had to update many of the style templates to display correctly in the new version of Xenforo.

    We're also making further tweaks to our graphics and underlying code to make things run as fast as possible (speed, speed, and more speed is always the goal).

    The maximum file size for photos will be increased. The maximum number of photos allowed per-post will also be increased. As usual, your photos will be stored by ΩF for free, forever, including backups and without limitations.

    The Facebook and Twitter buttons have a performance impact on page-loads, so we're in the process of building our own faster versions (or perhaps eliminating them if you guys don't think they're needed or add enough value).

    We'll be testing everything thoroughly before doing this roll-out. Any down time should only be for a few minutes. The status of our servers can always be checked by viewing: http://status.omegaforums.net/
    If you notice any visual glitches of have suggestions for improvements, please don't hesitate to create a thread or get in touch.

    New rules for sales
    We don't like rules very much, unless they contribute towards a significantly better experience for our members. We'll soon be introducing a few guidelines for all members posting in the sales section to follow. Mostly this covers some obvious basics, along with enforcing minimum sizing for photos of items. These proposed rules were discussed here, feel free to contribute if you have any further suggestions.

    Transparency and honesty between ΩF owners/admins and members
    Both myself and dsio (Ashley) have expressed interest in taking on watch restoration projects and perhaps listing the completed work in the ΩF sales section. We would be using the sales section in the same capacity as any other member, without any special privileges. It would not be a large commercial venture, but rather a fun way to clean-up and admire some new pieces, and perhaps earn a few bucks towards the forum.

    When and if this happens, we've decided it would be best to start publishing a regular statement of any profits and expenses relating to ΩF in general. With some other forums, it's often not clear where profits are going and how they're divided up. We figured it's far easier to establish and maintain your trust if everything is always out in the open for comment (or criticism).

    I hope you all have a great time over the holidays.

    Cheers :thumbsup:

    Trev
     
    yande and leroybrown like this.
  2. ulackfocus Dec 21, 2011

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    Hi Trev. A few comments:

    1) Forget those silly Facebook and Twitter buttons. :thumbsdown: They absolutely slow page loads and are nearly useless.

    2) Bigger is better for photos. :thumbsup:

    3) You don't have to disclose any profits made on project watches. As long as the lights stay on here it's all good. Nobody is naive enough to think this place runs for nothing. While a forum is for hobbyists, it has to be run by some kind of business standard so it stays afloat. You could even do an annual donation which some forums call a Patron Membership. I would bet a decent percentage of regulars would chip in.

    Happy Horolodays!
     
    rhj, Paulomega and cgilbert like this.
  3. Trev The Architect Staff Member Dec 22, 2011

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    That's what I thought, especially considering our audience/niche here. I've just been a bit hesitant to delete them.

    Here's another goodie I'm working on for the home page, recent images:
    Screen Shot 2011-12-23 at 12.03.24 PM.png
     
    alam likes this.
  4. The GMT Master Chris @ ΩF Dec 23, 2011

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    I definitely like the idea of that, Trev! :thumbsup:
     
  5. Trev The Architect Staff Member Dec 23, 2011

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    Yeah, should make things a bit more exciting. It's already working, but the images link to full-size versions in a light-box. I'd like each one to link back to their source thread.

    Also, the slight delay after clicking "post reply" or creating a new thread will be eliminated. It will become almost instant once we make a few adjustments.
     
  6. Trev The Architect Staff Member Jan 3, 2012

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    Alright guys. Here's where we're at: :coffee:
    • Updated Xenforo (our forum software platform) to the latest version and re-integrated our template customisations
    • Added a new Omega style "member card"
    • Screen Shot 2012-01-04 at 12.54.12 AM.png
    • Changed mail settings to send notifications faster. Posts in threads and conversations will now be very quick
    • Removed all Facebook and Twitter buttons. They cluttered things up and slowed us down
    • Removed gender field on the main sign-up form
    • Added user icons for list of online members (home page)
    • Added official rules to the sales forum
    • Removed references to gender and birthday on member profiles for increased member privacy.
    • Improved font consistency on home page
    • Removed the languages button, and support for Italian and Chinese (since they were totally incomplete and not actually useful).
    • Implemented front page icons as a single image sprite (a speed tweak)
    • Repair random visual glitches or inconsistencies (this is ongoing)
    • There was an issue with quite a few new members not receiving their confirmation email in December. The members affected have been manually activated and sent welcome emails. The source of the delivery issue has been identified and fixed right up.
    • I'm sure I'm forgetting more stuff...
    Ongoing updates are always rolled out to the site very quickly. If you ever see something that doesn't look right, or isn't working as it should be, please let us know. There's multiple layers of backups and we can easily/instantly roll-back for anything more serious.
     
  7. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Jan 3, 2012

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    OK that is just DAMN cool, for those that didn't get the connection, here's a pic of an Omega warranty card:

    [​IMG]
     
    davidswiss likes this.
  8. Trev The Architect Staff Member Jan 3, 2012

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    Yep. I was aiming for it to be a tribute, rather than a copy of their actual branding. Different spacing and arrangement, different Omega symbol, and no tie-in between the symbol and "Omega Forums" wording. I'm happy with it so far.
     
  9. ulackfocus Jan 3, 2012

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    So you made an "homage" to the Omega cards? :D:whipped:
     
  10. Steve Jan 3, 2012

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    BRILLIANT !!!..:D

    Nice touch Trev.
     
  11. Trev The Architect Staff Member Jan 3, 2012

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    I'm nearly finished your custom Invicta member card ;)
     
  12. ulackfocus Jan 3, 2012

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    Gee, thanks! Will you make me a Renato, U-boat, Hublot, and Jonny Sonbul card too? I can have a complete set then, a veritable 5 card straight flush (as in flush down the toilet) of brands I so admire. :D
     
  13. Trev The Architect Staff Member Jan 3, 2012

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    Aximum? :)
     
  14. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Jan 3, 2012

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    lol

    The only way to make an Aximum watch worth something:

    [​IMG]
     
  15. ulackfocus Jan 3, 2012

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    Forgot about them. Look at the celebrity 'endorsements' posted on their website - it might as well say "People with class should not bother entering" on the home page.
     
  16. Trev The Architect Staff Member Jan 3, 2012

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    The Aximum stuff is too funny:

    Screen Shot 2012-01-04 at 12.35.18 PM.png

    And I just noticed she's endorsing another watch on the same page.
    Screen Shot 2012-01-04 at 12.37.12 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2012-01-04 at 12.38.56 PM.png
     
  17. Trev The Architect Staff Member Jan 5, 2012

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    Fixed an annoying glitch where 'Inbox' and 'Alerts' would display notifications for "0" items. They're cleaned up now.
     
  18. ulackfocus Jan 5, 2012

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    I just noticed they're not constantly displayed anymore. :thumbsup:
     
  19. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Jan 5, 2012

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    Let us know if you spot any other oddities, we like keeping everything as smooth as we can manage.
     
  20. Trev The Architect Staff Member Jan 5, 2012

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    There's still a few things that aren't quite right (like some of the popup/overlays with weird backgrounds). Most visual issues have been cleaned up now, especially stuff in more frequently viewed areas.

    Also, Xenforo had a "trophies" system enabled by default. It's been re-worked so members automatically attain various levels of membership which trigger a new user title. It's calculated on number of posts and number of "liked" posts. Since it's not easy to turn off this feature, it seemed better to make it more suited to ΩF.

    The "Vintage Omega Oracles" of course won't have this, since they already have a custom title :rolleyes:

    Screen Shot 2012-01-06 at 3.33.53 PM.png